2 Chronicles 16:1-6 In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel came up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might let none go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. Then Asa brought silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-Hadad king of Syria, who dwelt in Damascus, saying, “Let there be a treaty between you and me, as there was between my father and your father. See, I have sent you silver and gold; come, break your treaty with Baasha king of Israel, so that he will withdraw from me.” So Ben-Hadad heeded King Asa, and sent the captains of his armies against the cities of Israel. They attacked Ijon, Dan, Abel Maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali. Now it happened, when Baasha heard it, that he stopped building Ramah and ceased his work. Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones and timber of Ramah, which Baasha had used for building; and with them he built Geba and Mizpah.
Pastor Kyle continues, saying that Asa schemed and relied on himself and his own mind instead of trusting and relying of the Lord God.
2 Chronicles 16:7-10 And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said to him: “Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and have not relied on the Lord your God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped from your hand. Were the Ethiopians and the Lubim not a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet, because you relied on the Lord, He delivered them into your hand. For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him. In this you have done foolishly; therefore from now on you shall have wars.” Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.
It is about where our first inclination is. We should be people that go to prayer before we go to a pill, that go to worship before to a workshop on self-improvement, we should go to God’s book before we go to Facebook. God wants us to come to Him first. His plans are better than ours. In the grace of God, our mistakes do not define all of a Christian’s days. We should be so thankful that God redeems and the repenting, born-again Believer. We can make our walk with the Lord on this journey here on earth in this life way harder than it needs to be. It is not just important to make a decision for God; we need to keep relying of God when circumstance tell us to rely on our own mind and ability to get through. Keep trusting and walking with God.
The longer that any of us trust in ourselves, we can become lackadaisical. We gain more experience and know what we are doing, we’ve done certain things a certain way before that worked, and we’ve enjoyed a measure of success in doing them. It can become easy to settle in and a little too comfortable, while continuing to do what we know not to be right tin the eyes of God. We need to keep the mindset of “what do I need to do to continually grow and succeed, while relying on the Lord”. Like Asa, this is where we can get off-track … in the obedient life that God expects from us.
Plan to look for the blessings of God in the challenges of Life. 2 Chronicles 15:7 tells us, “But you, be strong and do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded!” God desires to bless you, strengthen you and reward you. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” Don’t rob the peace and the blessing in your life. Life is challenging and hard at times, and none of us have the answers to make them go away, but know that God wants to bless us. Be the one whose heart is loyal to him in the challenges of Life. There is a blessing in every burden; it’s a matter of where we are looking. Cancel-proof your blessings for 2021. In the midst of the painful experiences, seek the blessings of God. In God we trust. Seek Him with all your heart.
In Christ, Brian
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